TEHRAN / AP Iran’s missiles will come down on the country’s enemies if they do wrong, a senior commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard was quoted as saying in a Saturday report from semi-official Tasnim news agency. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, chief of the Guard’s airspace division, said: “If the enemy does not walk the line, our missiles come ...
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Refugee agencies brace for funding loss
SALT LAKE CITY / AP Refugee resettlement organizations are bracing for significant funding cuts and possible layoffs over the coming months during President Donald Trump’s temporary refugee ban. The agencies receive a certain amount of federal dollars per refugee they help resettle, which means they would lose a key source of funding unless the Trump administration provides funds in ...
Read More »China lashes out at Mattis’ islands remarks
BEIJING / AP The U.S. is putting regional stability in East Asia at risk, a Chinese spokesman said Saturday following remarks by President Donald Trump’s defense secretary that a U.S. commitment to defend Japanese territory applies to an island group that China claims. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Saturday called on the U.S. to avoid discussion of ...
Read More »UN removes former Afghan warlord from blacklist
KABUL/ AP The United Nations has removed the name of a former Afghan warlord from its IS group and al-Qaida sanctions list. According to a statement posted Friday by the Security Council, a UN committee removed Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s name from the sanctions list. The statement said Hekmatyar, leader of Islamist organization Hezb-i-Islami, would no longer have his assets frozen, ...
Read More »India state polls test Modi popularity after currency chaos
NEW DELHI / AP Nearly three years ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a sweeping national election victory with promises to develop the economy and root out corruption. But with a series of key state elections beginning on Saturday, Modi’s popularity — and his surprise currency decree that sparked months of financial uproar — is now being tested. ...
Read More »Trump slams ‘dumb deal’ with ally Australia after testy call
Bloomberg President Donald Trump blasted a refugee resettlement deal with Australia in a late-night tweet, throwing the fate of more than 1,000 displaced people and the U.S.’s relationship with a key ally into doubt. “Do you believe it? The Obama administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!,†Trump tweeted. The ...
Read More »Israel’s Netanyahu vows new settlement
BUCHAREST / AP Israel’s prime minister on Thursday vowed to establish a new West Bank settlement “as soon as possible,” promising to make up for the court-ordered demolition of an illegal settler outpost. Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement was his latest step to expand Israeli settlement construction in the wake of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Trump has signaled a far softer ...
Read More »Romania’s president seeks to annul graft law amid protests
BUCHAREST / AP Romania’s president said on Thursday he would ask judges to declare unconstitutional a government decree that dilutes what qualifies as corruption, after hundreds of thousands protested against the measure. President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that he would take the emergency decree to the Constitutional Court, which is the last legal resort to stop the law. ...
Read More »US puts Iran ‘on notice’ after missile test, won’t elaborate
WASHINGTON / AP The White House has issued a cryptic warning that the US will act against Iran unless it stops testing ballistic missiles and supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen, but declined to say what retaliatory actions the US would pursue. Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, forcefully denounced Iran’s behavior in his first public remarks since ...
Read More »Mattis hits North ahead of talks with S Korea, Japan
SEOUL / AP In his first public remarks abroad as US defense secretary, Jim Mattis on Thursday criticized North Korea for provocative acts and said he would consult with South Korean and Japanese officials about whether the current strategy for getting the North to curtail or eliminate its nuclear and missile programs is adequate. Mattis spoke to reporters aboard ...
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